At Students’ Union UCL we are here to support you to do more with your sports clubs and societies. The aim of our ‘Catering at Events’ Policy is to set out how we can help you to make sure all provision of food at events is safe and compliant with legislation. Download our Catering at Events Policy.
Please do follow the guidance below and feel free to drop us an email at [email protected] or give us a ring to discuss how we can help you make your event a great success.
Pre-packaged Food
If you are bringing along pre-packaged, precooked food which will at no point need to be reheated you do not need to let us know in advance. However, please ensure you:
- Buy from a reputable supplier
- Keep the original packaging
- Ensure allergen information is readily available and prominently displayed.
- Follow manufacturer’s instructions about safe storage of product
- Ensure food is kept and served in a clean environment
- Ensure no cross contamination takes places – e.g. different foods are not stored together
- Acknowledge that the Union does not accept liability for food/drink consumed from the event/activity.
- please avoid serving hot drinks during busy events without prior approval and a risk assessment in place.
Baked Goods
If you are planning to provide or sell baked goods (cakes, muffins, cookies, shortbread etc.) at any club or society event, please inform us at least 5 working days in advance by emailing [email protected].
When dealing with baked goods please bear in mind the following guidelines:
- You need to ensure that all those preparing or serving food will follow appropriate Health & Safety guidelines followed in the preparation, transporting and serving of the baked goods.
- Ensure that all allergens contained within the food are recorded and prominently displayed, this chart may help you.
- Ensure no cross contamination takes place at any stage of preparation, transportation or serving of the baked goods.
- Follow sensible food preparation and storage guidelines (see some tips from Food Standards Agency below).
- Acknowledge that the Union does not accept liability for any food/drink consumed at the event/activity.
Food Standard Agency’s Tips for Bake Sales
At home, people making cakes should follow these general tips:
- Always wash your hands before preparing food
- Make sure that surfaces, bowls, utensils and any other equipment are clean.
- Don’t use raw eggs in anything that won’t be thoroughly cooked, such as icing or mousse.
- Keep cheesecakes and any cakes or desserts containing fresh cream in the fridge.
- Store cakes in a clean, sealable container away from raw foods.
On the day, people bringing in cakes from home or running the stall should follow these tips:
- Transport cakes in a clean sealable container.
- Make sure that cheese cake and any cakes or desserts containing fresh cream are left out of the fridge for the shortest time possible, ideally not longer than four hours.
- When handling cakes use tongs, or a cake slice instead.
Other Food at Events
Any food that does not fit into the pre-packaged goods or baked goods categories please contact us as at least 15 working days before the event by emailing [email protected].
This might include large scale events, events involving hot food, food from an external catering provider (restaurant), or any form of cooking on UCL or Students’ Union UCL property. The reason we need this extra time is that we need to work with you to make sure these more complex events are safe and successful.
Once you have let us know what you’d like to do we will talk you through the process and support you in coming up with a plan to ensure you comply with relevant health and safety, and food hygiene regulations.